Fingers Crossed (33)

July 17th
It is late in the day for writing (just after 12 noon). I woke up excited about my FB post last night and a response to my pet portrait business. My creative activity for the day yesterday was all computer related and I sat for the longest time redesigning a blog post on my home blog. It began as a vitamin week checklist and ended up all about Maggie. At the last minute, I added a phrase I noticed on a few Instagram posts... Commissions Open! In a brave moment, I actually shared my post on FB. I got the usual likes from family and friends. Maggie is a cute Cockapoo after all. Then it was shared by other people (thank you Norm, Ruth and Pat). Pat knows how to get the word out to people after her nightmare of finding a kidney for her son. A friend of Pat's replied that she was interested in a portrait and that my work was beautiful. I fell asleep a happy camper, dreaming about how to price my work and how to approach this as a job.

This morning brought me to the computer with my hot water and lemon, as usual, but then I directed my eager attention to Illustrator and planned a layout of sizes and prices to send to my new friend and Shih Tzu owner (Marilyn). Now, I am still waiting for her response. I think my work is worth way more than I listed, but I do not want to price myself out of the market. I need advice. Where do I get that? Most of the portrait artists on the internet are not charging that much but then there is one man who charges thousands. That's where I want to be! Perhaps I have to start lower and enter the market more competitively. If I get a response from Marilyn, I will consider posting my flyer to a FB page as a way to get the word out. Do I need a FB page? What exactly is that? Is that different from a profile page? Next bit of research, I guess. All I know is that I do have a blog that posts beautifully to FB and it brought in some interest. A professional website according to Amy "Useletter" starts at $180. I'm not there yet.

For my next stab at retirement fun, Daisy is due to come by for her... my... our... first lesson in art this afternoon. I plan to take it slowly as I would in my classroom at school. We may never get to a canvas today. But that is okay. I am looking forward to beginning a new teaching career that does not involve Phillip, As'ad, Timmy, traffic or snowstorms. I get to work with pets and kids in my own home, doing what I have already invested in my 10,000 hours. Fingers crossed something works!